Big clients disassociate from Idaho dairy farm

Published: October 12, 2012 

Undercover video footage provided by Mercy For Animals shows employees at Bettencourt Dairies, which has more than 60,000 cows, stomping on and beating cattle, twisting their tails and using a tractor to drag one animal by its chained neck.

The Murtaugh, Idaho, dairy works with cheese producers and suppliers, which in turn have deals with fast-food chains.

The Bettencourts said they made changes to their facilities’ video monitoring, on-site security and signage.

“We feel it is our ethical and moral responsibility to take the best care possible of our cows,” the Bettencourts said in their statement. “Because of our commitment to our dairy herd, animal abuse or misuse has a zero tolerance policy and is dealt with as swiftly as possible.”

Mercy For Animals is also asking Burger King to adopt new animal welfare guidelines that shun suppliers who allow “painful and unnecessary mutilations of animals.”

“We take this matter very seriously,” the company said in a statement. “Burger King Worldwide does not tolerate or condone cruelty to animals. As part of our animal welfare commitment, we require that all suppliers and their vendors adhere to our vendor code of ethics.”

In-N-Out also released a statement in which its chief operating officer, called the actions in the video “shocking and completely unacceptable.”

“In-N-Out Burger never has and never will condone such inhumane treatment of animals,” Taylor said.

Wendy’s said it was “appalled” by the video, according to a company statement.

“We have instructed Wendy’s supplier to disassociate with Bettencourt immediately,” the company said.

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